Kidney Loop / Breathing into the Back and Being

The main alignment in this week's class focuses on kidney loop. It beautifully illuminates the theme of breathing into the back body. Whereas the front is associated with doing and action, the back is mysterious and brings a calm and awareness of just being. Melonie anchored these two together through every pose in the class. Warm-up poses:

• Strap around rib cage to more specifically feel and experience the breath move into the back body. The strap stayed on while on our hands and kneeds, in utanasana, and in tadasana. Melonie revisited last week's teaching of pelvic loop and connected it to kidney loop.


• Sun salutations in flow and in variation

Main poses:

• Chaarunga--inflate the back body to puff up and rise--alone and with friends


• Vasistasana--variations


• Inversions--in the room or at the wall--your choice with a focus on breathing into the back body and maintaining awareness of its fullness


• Pigeon pose with a friend--using the friends resistance to provide stability to rise, inflate the back body, and liberate the heart opening


• Happy Baby variations leading to (sp?) ekapadacoolscissorlegstotheskyana ;^)


• Camel--striving to fill and sense the back body when a pose is "crunchy"--trusting the mystery of the back body and exploring it in calmness

Cool Down Poses:

• Sidebend seated--opposite arm/leg and same arm/leg--opening the crunchier side and breathing more into that side of the back body


• Laying down, rocking knees side to side

The deeper understanding I learned was an increased sense of calm through trusting a more singular focus on the back body. My attention felt more centered and I didn't worry about how much of the pose I might "achieve" but stayed more present in enjoying the pose at the moment.